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Many were surprised when Nintendo announced that their new console, the WiiU, would retail for $300 and $350 for its small and large hard drive models. Nintendo has tried for years to get a leg up on its competitors with a lower price tag to attract customers, but apparently they didn't think they could go sub-$200 this time around and turn the kind of profit they wanted.

Consumers aren't thrilled about it, but neither are some industry types either. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot had this to say to GamesIndustry about the cost:

"I always prefer lower pricing, so I can't say I'm happy... I'm never happy when the machines are expensive. What we have to do there is remember that compared to an iPad, [Wii U] is cheap. With what it brings [to the gaming table] it's cheap. But I hope they'll be able to drop their price in time."

Ubisoft has a lot riding on the WiiU, as the company has gone out of its way to forge a new relationship with Nintendo that transcends their previous efforts. They believe in the technology, but it's a bit odd that Guillemot would criticize the system so publicly.

Is $300-350 too steep for a new console? Perhaps, but I doubt it will affect sales all that much, and will likely be equivalent to or cheaper than future competitors from Sony and Microsoft. I'm not sure what to make of Guillemot's comment about the iPad. I don't think that consumers will look at the two as equivalents. No one is going to be hauling around a WiiU controller the way they do an iPad, and the app functionality isn't remotely equivalent. In the same vein, the WiiU's games will be leagues beyond anything the iPad offers, though "casual gamers" might not see it that way, content with their Angry Birds and Cut the Rope.

The WiiU is reportedly already selling out ahead of time for this holiday season. I maintain that it won't be the revolution that the original Wii was, blowing away sales records and getting millions of non-gamers interested in it, but that said, that doesn't mean it won't be a success. Nintendo has been doubted by many, but they always seem to rise above.